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Parentshop Blog

Expert insights and practical advice on parenting, child behaviour management, and professional development in education.

Surviving lockdown - helping your child talk about anxiety and returning to school
Michael Hawton

Surviving lockdown - helping your child talk about anxiety and returning to school

Anxiety SchoolLockdown

Lockdowns in Melbourne, Sydney and some regional areas are coming to an end - representing a return to school for many thousands of children. Returnin...

Five tips for parents to consider when purchasing a child’s first smartphone.
Michael Hawton

Five tips for parents to consider when purchasing a child’s first smartphone.

ParentingSmartphone

By Michael Hawton, MAPS & Jill Sweatman NIIRA

Taming fears – a parent’s guide to helping kids overcome anxious feelings.
Michael Hawton

Taming fears – a parent’s guide to helping kids overcome anxious feelings.

AnxietyResilienceFears

Watching a child react to a specific and persistent fear can be distressing for parents.  Sometimes, a parent feels so distressed by their child’s res...

Three reasons why the significant adults in a child’s life won’t intervene in a child’s anxiety.
Michael Hawton

Three reasons why the significant adults in a child’s life won’t intervene in a child’s anxiety.

AnxietyParentsEarly Years Educators

There is research to show that where significant adults in a child’s life can learn how to respond to a child’s anxiety, this type of intervention can...

Helping your child talk about anxiety – the descriptive toolbox

Helping your child talk about anxiety – the descriptive toolbox

AnxietyParentsStrategy

Finding the right words to describe your feelings in any given situation can be a challenge, even for adults. It can be even more difficult for a chil...

Curious parenting: a way to reduce child anxiety
Michael Hawton

Curious parenting: a way to reduce child anxiety

AnxietyParentingProfessionals

What if we could break our child’s anxious thinking patterns by asking a few consistent but curious questions?  What if we could help our children to ...

Being the coach – Tips for setting yourself aside to help your child in distressing situations
Michael Hawton

Being the coach – Tips for setting yourself aside to help your child in distressing situations

AnxietyParentingResilience

Being a parent is incredibly rewarding, but let’s face facts, sometimes it can be really hard.  Our heartstrings are often torn when we see our child ...

Book Review - You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy
Michael Hawton

Book Review - You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy

Anxiety ParentingChildhood Behaviour

I have been in the business of listening for over 30 years. In various career moves, I’ve had to listen being a teacher, a counsellor, and a report in...

Back to school after holidays - dealing with anxiety and school refusal.
Michael Hawton

Back to school after holidays - dealing with anxiety and school refusal.

AnxietyBehaviourChildren

Many parents would be familiar with the morning struggle of getting a reluctant child back to school.  The teeth gnashing, the tantrums, the threats. ...